An Ohio man, Willie Eugene Sims, 69, has been charged with the 1977 murder of Jeanette Ralston, 24, in California, after a fingerprint on a cigarette pack found in her Volkswagen Beetle linked him to the crime. Ralston’s body was discovered on February 1, 1977, showing signs of strangulation and sexual assault, wedged in the vehicle’s back seat near a San Jose bar.
Sims’ fingerprint was identified using an updated FBI database algorithm after previous attempts to match it were unsuccessful. DNA from Ralston’s fingernails and the shirt used in the murder also matched Sims. He is scheduled for arraignment in San Jose on one count of murder, facing a potential sentence of 25 years to life. It remains unclear if he has legal representation.
Investigators had been seeking to identify the fingerprint for years, but it wasn’t until last year that they decided to re-run it, prompted by algorithm updates. Sims had left California before DNA became a crucial forensic tool, and his criminal history includes a conviction in 1978 for assault and robbery involving another woman.
Ralston’s son, who was only six at the time of her murder, expressed gratitude for the arrest, calling it a meaningful birthday gift as his birthday approaches. Ralston was last seen leaving a bar with an unknown man shortly before her body was found. Her killer attempted to set her car on fire but failed. The case highlights advancements in forensic technology, including the use of STRmix, which helps derive DNA profiles from complex genetic mixtures that were previously deemed unusable.
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